Barangay Ginebra San Miguel have now won two straight games against the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in their PBA Commissioner’s Cup semis showdown. But, in Tim Cone’s assessment, Yeng Guiao’s wards are still winning in one key area: pace.
The league’s all-time winningest coach acknowledged as much in the aftermath of Ginebra’s 103-98 victory over Rain or Shine on Sunday—although he thinks Scottie Thompson and company are doing better.
“I think we’re a little better at it today, but I still think this is the pace that Rain or Shine likes to play,” Cone acknowledged after Game 3. “I think Yeng Guiao is happy with their pace. And I think that we played a little bit better, but they’re putting so much pressure right in our faces that we just can’t walk the ball up the floor.”
Guiao, of course, wants his team playing fast-paced, high-octane hoops, piling up possessions and running up the score. Cone, in contrast, prefers a slower, more deliberate pace, maximizing possessions with on-point execution and turning games into defensive battles.
Good Decision-Making Helping Ginebra
Based on the scores, maybe Cone is right. Ginebra might just be getting better at controlling the pace in this series. And that, according to the Gilas Pilipinas head coach, is a credit to RJ Abarrientos’ and Scottie Thompson’s good decision-making.
“They make us take up too much time. We don’t have enough time to run our offense. So, we’ve got to push at times ourselves and just find the right times, be good decision makers,” Cone pointed out. “And Scottie and RJ are great decision-makers out there. They’re getting this despite the pressure. They’re still finding a way to organize this enough that we can get things done offensively.”
Abarrientos and Thompson certainly made good decisions in Game 3, particularly in one torrid stretch starting in the third quarter to about the five-minute mark of the fourth. In that stretch, the two premier guards helped Ginebra turn a 56-48 halftime deficit into a 94-78 cushion—a killer 46-22 turnaround that spelled the difference.
Rain or Shine Still Forcing Tempo
But, like they did in Game 2, the Elasto Painters extended their defense full court, sped the game up, and launched a furious rally, getting to within five points twice down the stretch. Rain or Shine couldn’t quite complete its fight back, as Thompson hit a dagger three and Stephen Holt drained four crucial freebies to seal the win.
That near-comeback, though, proves Cone’s point. This series is still largely being played on Rain or Shine’s pace. And that could potentially be trouble.
The good news is that Ginebra is starting to slow it down more to its liking. Cone wants to slow things down even more.
